


In Between

by cupsofstardust



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Birthday Party, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Grocery Shopping, Humor, they're just boys (and riko) having fun heart emoji
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-18 13:48:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28993185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cupsofstardust/pseuds/cupsofstardust
Summary: It's Tetsuya's birthday. Seirin are determined to prove that he is not invisible.
Relationships: Kuroko Tetsuya & Seirin High Basketball Team Members
Comments: 10
Kudos: 35





	In Between

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday Tetsuya! (I KNOW I'M LATE I'M SO SORRY T_T)
> 
> I love this boy so fucking much, you have no idea. I started knb about two weeks ago and I'm nuts now thank you. <3

"Kagami."

He stirs, but his eyes stay firmly shut. He's always been a heavy sleeper. He tries again, a little more insistent.

"Kagami."

This time he mumbles something, his lashes fluttering briefly. Tetsuya sighs, blowing the hair off his forehead. For a moment, he contemplates just rolling over and going back to sleep, but then Kagami rolls over, one eye open. 

"What."

Without responding, Tetsuya turns his phone on and waits for a moment, watching Kagami grow more frustrated in his periphery, until—

"Midnight." He turns the phone so Kagami can see. He squints against the brightness, then glares at Tetsuya. "It's my birthday."

Both of Kagami's eyes open. He props himself up on an elbow. "Really? Why didn't you say anything sooner, moron, we could've planned something, or—"

He can't help but smile a little. "I know. But I don't want a big party. It's enough to spend it with the team."

Kagami blinks, and then he scoffs, sitting up and wiping at his eyes. "Whatever. Get up."

Tetsuya sits as well, peeling his sleeping bag from around his legs. "Where are we going?"

"Don't be stupid," Kagami says through a yawn, already halfway into the kitchen. "It's your birthday. Of course we're doing something."

There's shuffling from the darkness, then Hyuga cuts in. "What's going on?" he mumbles, fumbling around for his glasses. "Kagami, Kuroko, why are you awake so late?"

Kagami opens a cupboard and then immediately shuts it in favor of searching the next one. "It's Kuroko's birthday."

"What? Really? Why didn't you say anything yesterday?" 

Tetsuya shrugs, joining Kagami in the kitchen and watching over his shoulder as he rifles through a cabinet. "I didn't think anyone would want to do anything."

Hyuga grumbles a little to himself, his sleeping bag shuffling around as he kicks it off his legs, and a low groan comes from beside him. 

"Why are you kicking me, Hyuga," Kiyoshi complains in a low voice. 

"I'm not, it's this damn sleeping bag, it's—"

"Could you idiots be any louder?!" Aida seethes. "Go back to sleep before I knock you out myself!"

"What's going on?" Koganei slurs, and next to him Izuki groans. "Why are we all awake?"

Kagami shuts the cabinet with a loud clack and turns to Tetsuya. "We need to go shopping."

"Now?" he asks.

"Right now," Kagami confirms. "Get your coat."

Tetsuya turns back to the living room, picking his way over legs and arms to the front door where he hung his coat on the rack and nearly tripping over Number 2 when he decides to walk directly under his feet. 

He scoops him up, absently petting him on the head. "Silly dog," he murmurs. "You're going to get hurt."

"Where are you two going at this hour?" Aida demands. 

Kagami flicks the light switch by the door and is met with a chorus of groans and a wave of arms shielding tired eyes. "Shopping. I'm out of instant noodles."

Aida's eye twitches. "It's midnight. Why can't it wait until tomorrow."

Kagami pulls his jacket on and flips the collar up. "It's Kuroko's birthday."

Mitobe opens his eyes to the chorus of surprised and excited shouts around him, and the jostling of sleeping bags being pushed off and discarded.

Before Tetsuya can react, they're upon him, crushing him with hugs and patting him on the head and mussing his hair which doesn't change anything, really, it was already messy, but then Number 2 yelps and everyone backs away and turns their attention to him, making sure he's okay.

"Why didn't you tell us, Kuroko!" Koganei punches him in the arm and knocks him against Kiyoshi. 

"Careful," he chides gently, taking the dog from Tetsuya's arms so he can put his jacket on. "We don't want to go to the emergency room on Kuroko's big day."

"It's not that big," he counters, then zips the coat up to his chin and holds out his arms for Number 2. 

"You're nineteen, idiot," Kagami argues. "That's huge. Anyway, shut up. We're celebrating, whether you like it or not. Move it or lose it."

"Let's go! Come on, I'm so excited! What kind of cake do you want, Kuroko? Ice cream cake? Or—"

"No, Tsuchida, that's—it's on backwards, you—"

"Relax, Riko. How often do we throw parties like this?"

Tetsuya slips his shoes on and taps the heels against the floor. Number 2 whines and wriggles in his arms, so he lifts his jacket away from his chest and puts him inside. After a moment, he licks his cheek and Tetsuya smiles, and then the door is open and Kagami leads the way through the lobby and out the front door, a tired army behind him.

The cold air cuts right through their thin pajamas. Aida leans into Kiyoshi, her teeth chattering, and he wraps an arm around her shoulders. Hyuga glares at them and Kiyoshi grins. 

"Are you cold too, Hyuga? Come here!" 

Before Hyuga can react, Kiyoshi's smothering him against his chest. 

"Let go of me, you fucking—" Hyuga pushes him away, stumbling off the curb and into the quiet street. "Stay away from me, you monster. I'm fine."

Kiyoshi just laughs, and Aida shakes her head fondly. "Sorry, Hyuga. It's just fun to rile you up."

"So," Kagami starts, drawing everyone's attention. He glances over his shoulder at Tetsuya, who looks up at him curiously. "What do you want for your birthday."

"Oh yeah!" Koganei exclaims, pulling his wallet out of his pocket and thumbing through it. "Presents! What do you want, Kuroko? I... don't have that much left, but! We can all pitch in to get you something, right?"

Hands reach for wallets even as Tetsuya lifts his palms. "There's no need, really, it's—"

"Come on, Kuroko," Izuki interrupts. "Let us do something nice for you."

Number 2 yips and licks his face, and Tetsuya concedes. "Okay."

"Nice!" Kawahara pumps a fist in the air. "What should we get you?" 

Everyone turns to him expectantly. He thinks about it for a moment, and then shrugs. "I don't know."

Kiyoshi claps him on the back. "Then we'll have to surprise you! Come on."

With Kiyoshi and Kagami leading the way, they shuffle into the store, squinting against the bright lights.

Koganei reaches for a cart but Aida stops him with a hand and a firm, "We don't need one, we're only here for instant noodles."

"But I want to ride in it!" he argues.

"I wanted to ride in it!" Kawahara chimes in.

"Why is it such a big deal who rides in the fucking—"

"Kuroko should be the one to ride in it," Kagami interjects. "Only makes sense."

Koganei looks at Kawahara and shrugs. "Sounds fair." He turns to Tetsuya with a grin. "Hop in."

It takes a bit of maneuvering—Number 2 is not happy with the amount of wobbling and shaking that happens—but he settles into the cart, one leg propped over the edge because he's too tall for this now, and Number 2 buries himself in his coat.

It starts moving as soon as he's sitting down, Koganei and Kawahara wrestling for control. It bangs off an endcap and spins out and Aida stomps out of the aisle glaring daggers at them. 

"Teppei will push it," she says, and it's not a suggestion. 

Kiyoshi obediently takes the wheel. Koganei slumps a little, then perks up when they pass the ice cream display. 

"Can we get some?" he asks, clasping his hands together. "Pretty please? It's Kuroko's birthday, we have to have ice cream!"

Kiyoshi stops and turns the basket a little so Tetsuya can see the options. "What's your favorite kind of ice cream?"

Kagami grunts. "Just get a bunch, who cares. I'm going this way. Come on, Kuroko."

He grabs the end of the basket and starts tugging it away towards the instant noodles, ignoring Koganei's protests and Kiyoshi's insistences and the steam coming out of Aida's ears. 

A box of ice cream pops lands in his lap, freezing cold through the fabric of his pajama pants, and Tetsuya turns to see Kiyoshi and Koganei and Kawahara studying the selection carefully, pulling out box after box and stacking them in the cart, even though Kagami is still pulling him away and the gap between him and the ice cream is growing and growing and growing.

Kagami plants a box of instant noodles in the cart next to the ice cream and Number 2 wriggles up out of his coat to see what all the noise is, and to escape the rapidly growing pile of ice cream creeping up on him.

Tetsuya leans his head back, listening to Koganei and Kawahara and Kiyoshi argue about which ice cream they should get, and to Hyuga and Izuki and talking sleepily amongst themselves while Mitobe nods along, and to Aida berating Kagami who clearly isn't listening at all, and he smiles to himself.

His phone vibrates in his pocket and he pulls it out. 

> _**Aomine** _  
>  _Happy birthday, Tetsu._

He texts back a quick thank you, and he tacks on a smiley face for good measure, because he wants to. Because he's happy.

It's these moments, when he's sitting in the basket because he's the birthday boy and it's important, and Kiyoshi and Kagami and Koganei are piling boxes of instant noodles and ice cream on his legs, and the coach is shouting at them loud enough to attract attention, and his phone is vibrating in his pocket with birthday wishes from Midorima and Kise and Murasakibara and maybe even Akashi, too—the easy moments, the grocery store moments, the silly little in-between moments, that he realizes it, every single day.

He's so lucky.

Tetsuya laughs, and his eyes sting a little, and from the depths of his coat Number 2 licks the tears from his cheeks and whines softly, in confusion maybe, because he's laughing but he's crying too and it's strange that he can do both at once, for the same feeling. 

And once he starts he can't stop but he doesn't want to either. 

"I love you guys," he manages, and the bickering stops.

Kagami is the first to break the silence. "God, you're so embarrassing," he mutters, but the smile he tries and fails to hide belies his annoyance and it makes Tetsuya smile even wider, until his cheeks almost hurt. 

"I know," he replies. 

A box of tissues lands on him from behind the cart. He leans back and finds Aida leaning over the handle and smiling. 

"We'll pay for them later. You need them now."

Kiyoshi's hand comes down gently on his head. "We love you too, Kuroko. Do we have everything, Kagami?"

"Yeah. Let's get out of here," he mutters. "'m tired. And hungry."

"Let's go celebrate!"

The tired woman at the register doesn't seem to appreciate Koganei's energy levels, or the fact that Tetsuya is sitting in the basket, or the dog in his jacket, but when Aida quietly apologizes and explains that it's his birthday, she smiles a little and she nods at him.

"I hope it's a good one," she says.

Tetsuya smiles at her. "Thank you."

Kiyoshi grabs the cart and steers them to the entrance, and then it's time for Tetsuya to stumble out of it, catching himself on Kagami's sleeve. He takes a couple bags over one arm and Aida leads the way outside.

A ripping sound gets his attention. He turns to find Koganei opening up a box of ice cream pops. 

"Want one?" he asks when he notices him staring. He pulls a second one out of the box and holds it out to him.

Tetsuya takes it. It's a green one.

Kagami comes up beside him and knocks his shoulder, then places a hesitant hand on his head. "Happy birthday, or whatever."

His cheeks hurt from smiling so much. "Thanks, Kagami."

He side-eyes him. "For what."

Tetsuya shrugs, and he puts his ice cream in his mouth, and Kagami shakes his head a little and sighs, but he smiles to himself as they walk back to his apartment.

"Oh. Here." Kagami pulls a small bag out of his pocket and hands it to him. "It's not wrapped but whatever."

Tetsuya looks up at him. "What is it?"

"Open it."

A keychain. With a basketball on it. "What's this for?"

"Your gift. We didn't have a lot left after the ice cream and noodles so. Everyone picked out a keychain that reminded them of you. That one's from me."

Tetsuya can't help but smile. "You only love me for my basketball, huh."

Kagami shoves him. He stumbles into the road, knocking shoulders with Kiyoshi. 

"Shut up. Moron."

**Author's Note:**

> (tears in my eyes) I like Seirin so much ok...
> 
> I don't know if this is "good" by any ao3 definition since I didn't bother editing it but honestly I don't... really think I care that much anymore lol like if I like it that's really all that matters to me I think, and honestly I just want to stop worrying about it and post stuff. Even still, I do hope that you liked this! Comments and kudos are nice, thank you <3
> 
> [My Twitter!](https://twitter.com/tifaIoveheart)


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